Nigh Kayaking and Pecan Pina Colada Oats

So for the past few weeks, Tyler has been going kayaking/boating with our friend Raleigh. He’d always come back desperately tired, but full of smiles and stories of how many times he rolled over in his boat in the water, or how he went down a rapid upside down…my thoughts were always…yes, fun. Upside down in water stuck in a boat? My idea of a good time.

Now, sarcasm is difficult to determine in writing, but that was definitely sarcasm. I was baffled by his general excitement about the boating situation. Until yesterday. Yes my friends, I did it, I went boating on the San Marcos River. And it was AWESOME.

Basically, you put on a swim suit, and then proceed to add on three layers of safety gear so that fools such as myself do not drown when they flip over multiple times. Oh…and flip over I did. Twice on purpose to get me used to the feeling of being upside down in the water, trapped in a boat, and confused. Banging on the side of my boat for someone (Raleigh) to flip me up. Oh the joys.

Then…about four times not one purpose.

Time 1: Going down a mini-rapid (which in my head was honestly a class 5 or 6, yes a new category of rapid for this monstrosity). This was fine, I got flipped up, and was only mildly disoriented.

Time 2: Trying to get my boat back into the water. I got it back in part way, proclaimed “VICTORY IS MI–” and flipped over.

Time 3: Once again getting my boat into the water. This time I had it for a solid 15 seconds, before I flipped. I believe Raleigh cursed and paddled towards me to flip my sorry butt up right again.

Time 4: The epic time. I was trying to get into a current and then back out successfully…but unfortunately, as soon as I managed to get into the current, I got excited like a small puppy and forgot to paddle out. Yes, I have now learned paddling is important. Instead, I went down another rapid, backwards mind you, and then flipped over. This time, I didn’t have a moment to breath in, so I was out of breath and under water. Of course, the best thing to do when you’re underwater right below a rapid is to open your mouth. Yep, I did that. Yep, 3-4 giant mouthfuls of water were shoved down my throat and trachea. When Raleigh came over to once again flip me over, I proceeded to cough up a good deal of water, and then a large amount of the spinach ravioli I had for dinner.

Food for fishies! Yeah, it was pleasant. But the amazing thing, was all the while, Raleigh was totally calm! She was like, “Okay, you’re going to go down that rapid backwards” or “Okay, you threw up in the river” or “Okay, let’s flip you up for the…fifth time…” It was awesome, and I felt totally comfortable going out there again with her and Tyler.

Moral of the story: If you haven’t gone kayaking, do it! It’s fun, you might throw up, but just look at it as giving back to the fishies, for using their home space to play/flip over in. And also, when someone asks you, “Do you want to learn to flip yourself upright?” Always say yes. Always.

On to food. Specifically breakfast. So I’m not a huge breakfast poster…or even a huge breakfast fan. Someone people love it, some people hate it, I’m ambivalent.

But, I do recognize that it’s healthy and therefore compel myself to eat it. One thing I’ve found that I really love is steel cut oats.

What are steel-cut oats you ask?

Steel-cut oats are whole grain groats (the inner portion of the oat kernel) which have been cut into pieces. They are commonly used in Scotland and Ireland to make porridge, whereas rolled oats are used in England, other English-speaking countries, and Scandinavia. They are sometimes named after the grade of cut, e.g. pinhead oats; steel-cut oats from Ireland are sometimes called Irish oats.

Taken straight from Wikipedia. What I know about them is that they have quite a low glycemic index, so they are healthier for your since they don’t spike your blood sugar as much. Also, they are super easy to make, and tasty. Also, they’re gluten free!

I’ve made tons of variations on this, but Pecan Pina Colada is latest creation, and I like it! So I figured I’d share. They are pretty malleable, so you can change the amount of the ingredients depending on what you like (sour cherries fan? Sure, toss ’em in! Hate coconut? Omit it!)

You can make these oats at the beginning of the week, and have them for breakfast every day with some greek yogurt and lemon curd or jam, or even a small bit of nutella. That’s what I do 🙂

Optional but tasty:
A few table spoons of brown sugar OR
A big dollop of honey OR
3-4 tbsp. coconut milk OR
1 tbsp. Butter

Heat your oven to about 275F

In a 9×9 pan, mix all the ingredients together. Put it in the oven for 20 minutes. Check on it, if it needs more water, add it. Should be done after another 20 minutes depending on how crunchy you like your oats. Allow them to cool, cover with foil, and stick in the fridge for the week!